breaking news here. president obama, vice president biden, mcconnell, pelosi and reid and boehner are meeting to discuss the fiscal cliff. we are hearing the president's planning to present a smaller offer. for the latest, we bring in peter alexander from the white house and mike viqueira from capitol hill. peter, let's talk about what's going on at the white house meeting. i hear senators are optimistic about a mini deal which, of course, will raise taxes on those above $400,000. expand the amt, cut some spending. what are you hearing? >> reporter: well, hearing a lot of different things right now. one of the items and ruled by rumor and then denials and frustrations, toure. we know that we saw senators mcconnell and reid arriving a short time ago. we didn't pelosi and boehner arrive yet but the vice president joe biden got here a

short time ago, as well. there's other reporting from the hill right now about the potential that the president is going to return to what was basically his original outlined plan. perhaps a smaller plan but a plan where the threshold would be set closer to $250,000 as he initially had before the $400,000 offer that john boehner the white house would contend walked away from when he proposed his $1 million threshold in this situation right now. that and a priority that the president outlined a week ago on friday before leaving to join the family in hawaii saying he wanted to extend unemployment benefits for a lot of americans. 2 million plus beginning to lose unemployment benefits, beginning of the end of the this week and significant element, as well. the president indicated to reporters when he spoke in the reefing room last he was open to several smaller steps enroute to a smaller package and unclear what the steps look like but that's surely discussed in the

conversation. >> vick, let's talk about the backdrop here. the congress least productive, on the pace to be the least productive congress in history. on pace to pass around 219 bills. 111th passed 383. the 110th passed 380. the harry truman congress called the do nothing congress passed 906. so they're extraordinarily productive compared to what we have now. >> reporter: yeah. >> talking about why in "the washington post" a couple of months and said never have we seen them this dysfunctional and criticize both parties and now acknowledge the core of the problem lies with the republican party. what do you think is going on with this truly do nothing congress? >> reporter: well, toure, one is tempted to be flip and say there's post offices that needing naming in the '50s and

inflated the numbers and really essentially looking at the numbers the vast majority of those bills, the vast preponderance of those bills is sort of inconsequential bills. they have a special day reserved for post office namings and singing the praises of this day or that day or motherhood or apple pie and so, you know, it's sort of really hard to tell and it's fairly strong indication as if we needed that number to indication of how dysfunctional this congress is. here's somebody, a speaker in the background there saying speaker boehner arrived at the white house and listening to that together. and let me segue back to what's going to be offered here at the white house if anything in the closed-door meeting. a mini deal with a temporary tax hike or tax cut or however you form late it, i can't find anybody around town knocking that down with vigor and who believes that the president goes

for anything temporary in that regard. first of all. second of all, i think it's clear that the president as peter reported and everything i'm hearing on the hill and the white house is going to go back to the $250,000 threshold for couples filing jointly. if you make nor than that, your taxes would rise under what the president will propose. yes. an extension of unemployment insurance. yes. something to be done about the alternative min numb tax which is ensnaring more and more and more middle class voters. the so-called doctor fix and another exercise we go each year that's slashing doctor's medicare reimbursements dramatically and something to do about the dividend tax and the estate tax. and what's essentially happening here and a door open here, democrats leave the door open and expect mcconnell to make a counter offer, whatever the case may be, democrats run the place saying to mitch mcconnell, hey, if we jump off of this bridge,

cliff, as it were, we're going to hold hands with you and not only bring along some republicans jumping off this cliff here but you have to make sure that john boehner comes along, too, and put something on the floor that's not going to get the majority of the majority republicans in the house of represent evs. that is the predicate, that is the condition in the senate. no one believes that john boehner will take that leap holding the hands of harry reid or mitch mcconnell, for that matter. the preponderance of opinion, the overwhelming belief and suspicion, however you want to phrase it, here in the capitol and downtown on k street is going over the cliff. only question now is how many days to extend past january 1st before they come back and do something about this, toure. >> yeah. well, mike just picking up on that point then, i guess that's the republicans all of their actions and pronouncements indicated that this, the timing and the sequence of this really matters to them in terms of, look, all the bush rates

expiring on january 1st and doing anything before january 1st it's construed as a tax hike and believing the bush rates intact and then calling it a tax cut and seems to matter to them and completely share the skepticism to sign off on anything you're talking about but from the democratic perspective, the reporting s suggests obama putting on the table is 250 refundable. like that would be included, too. unemployment insurance. the dock first. the amt fix. included in anything. no matter what. i guess my question is, when you get the added leverage of the bush tax cuts expiring and the country probably blaming republicans for it, what is the rush for obama right now to do a deal? >> reporter: that is the suspicion that's shared by a lot of republicans taking it, steve, as almost an article of faith of three weeks, a month, that the president actually wants to go over the cliff and i'm not sure if that's true.

i have no way of knowing if that's true. i kind of doubt it. if you look at it, the republicans lose a lot of leverage. they have painted themselves in to this corner. there's no denying that fact. john boehner obviously we know what happened last week. sifting through the wreckage of the plan "b." gone back to plan "a," a bill passed by the congress and extending tax cuts for everyone and sent to the senate. they don't expect the senate to take that. use that as a legislative vehicle and what's today? saturday. new year's eve is -- sorry. today's friday. too much holiday cheer. but come on. i mean -- >> he will be working the weekend. >> reporter: i am. oh my god. i don't want to get started on that. but anyway, you know, there's a lot at stake here. and, you know, it is late for this kind of thing to go on. and really, steve, i know you have been on board for this last several days, as well. most logical thing and perverse

logic and chamber politics, any way to look at it is most logical thing is to go over and then come back to vote to cut taxes. but hey, you know, pride goeth before the fall. they could come up with a miraculous recovery. some sort of immaculate deal and may actually spur some conversations on the margins and maybe get to a voint where they can do something to avert, at least patch this to avaert total economic disaster. >> sounds like you're sticking by your january 10th pool bet there but from the republican perspective, i have to say the president already going back to the 250 mark, they have to look at that initial offer that he put in, moving the benchmark up to 400 k6 and social security benefit cuts and maybe after the first of the year think we should have taken that to start with and further back, i have to think there are already regretds of not taking the grand bargain

offered back in the initial debt ceiling fight but peter, i wanted to get your take on the comments that charles krauthammer made about the president's negotiating strategy. take a listen to that. >> it's been very clear from the beginning that he had no intention to solve the fiscal issues. he's been using this and i must say with great skill and ruthless skill and success to fracture and basically shatter the republican opposition. his objective from the very beginning was to break the will of the republicans in the house and to create an internal civil war. and he's done that. >> so peter, i mean, from my perspective, i don't think the gop needed any help imploding but was this the president's negotiating strategy to sort of break the republicans and cause this internal civil war that he's talking snabtd. >> reporter: i think the white house feels confidently as it

indicated they won the election campaigning on this very issue and that's all that they had at stake was trying to bring to the american people what they claim was the real agenda in the course of the campaign, extend the bush era tax cuts for making more than $250,000 and whatever the republicans want to say about them, they're fine to say and right now the republicans continue with a lot of sniping directed at this white house. earlier today, senators corker and alexander making statements basically blaming them for the stalemate, taking place right now. but i think it's pretty clear that the white house feels confidently that even if they don't have control of the house, they have enough republicans in the house that if a vote were allowed there, that with the democrats all supporting the president and enough republicans they could move this thing. >> krystal? >> reporter: can i take a whack at that question, please? it's mike viqueira. the question is, did the

president know and as charles krauthammer outlined, you know, that he was going to crush the republican opposition, listen. i'm going to toot my own horn a little bit. i wrote about this two days after the election. what the president has done is take a battlefield victory and pursued the enemy in the woods and routed them. the advisers know that john boehner could not, cannot, would not pass a bill in the house of representatives to raise tax rates. john boehner came out the day after the election and tried to preempt that. he knew it was coming and trying to raise revenues closing loopholes. we won't raise tax rates, however. the president has compromised. he's gone from 250 to 400. he's changed some other things. he put the social security benefit reductions on the table. the so-called chain cpi and they knew all along -- i don't know if this was third intention or overt thinking but they're very

smart people and no wriggle room, no flexibility for john boehner and pressing him, the party was going to explode ear and parentally that's what's happening in the house of representatives. >> peter, my friend chris krueger had a fun if not me l melancholy quote saying we expect obama will reveal a new plan at the meeting and almost immediately declared unreasonable by congressional republicans in the press game if that's what comes out of this meeting, what do you expect the next move to be from obama and the democrats? >> reporter: well, i obviously will see whatever the president does in here and if things end, the president at least can come before americans and say i was the last one to put the offer on the table. the republicans with an opportunity before and pursued plan b and i think the president feels confident to put something together behind the closed doors in the oval office and the west

wing today at least he has the advantage going forward from here. i think that's about as far ahead to look right now. >> yep. >> peter alexander, thank you. mike viqueira, see you tomorrow. up next, if you're cliff diving, rick newman is here to make sure you land on your feet. we have questions about those. if you're not following this guy, you should be. hendrick lamar takes us to break. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind.

c'mon, michael! get in the game! [ male announcer ] don't have the hops for hoops with your buddies? lost your appetite for romance? and your mood is on its way down. you might not just be getting older. you might have a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. millions of men, forty-five or older, may have low t.

so talk to your doctor about low t. hey, michael! [ male announcer ] and step out of the shadows. hi! how are you? [ male announcer ] learn more at isitlowt.com. [ laughs ] hey!

you can run but you can't

hide from the impending cliff of doom. despite what steve might tell you watching fiscal cliff nonsense in washington can make you feel powerless. our next guest is here with the tips on how to make -- take some of you power back. joining us is rick newman, chief business correspondent for "u.s. news & world report" and author of "rebounders." so tell us, what can the average person do to sort of thwart against the realities of the fiscal cliff? >> my first tip is just relax. it's not going to be armageddon right off the bat. i mean, it is worth pointing out we hear the humongous figures like $500 billion in tax increases and stuff like that. most of those will not affect people until it's time to fill out the tax returns and won't happen until 2014. say the tax rates go up, the

government is not going to automatically withhold more money from the paycheck and the tax rates can be in effect for most of the year. we hope they're not but congress could rescind them toward the end of the year and one thing to affect you is the payroll tax cut, two percentage points and spoebed to be temporary anyway. >> rick, one of the suggestions that you have, turn off the tv until congress reaches a deal. the media will find little else to talk about. the endless chatter creates the mistaken impression that the country is going down the drain. >> turn off all the other channels is what i meant. >> you leave the impression we're fearmongering and not giving important information that we need to have and are you per pet yuting the problem? >> trying to be a voice of reason. so for a bit of perspective, going in to this, most people who watch congress who are

paying attention for months did not expect any kind of deal to happen in december. remember, this is a lame duck session and people who have been watching this for a long time said probably the best is a temporary fix and then take up the big issues in 2013. that's been the outlook all along. here we are and what's happening? that's what's happening. going through the drama and on script, really. woinging up to some kind of temporary deal and unfortunately dealing with the big issues all of 2013 but i mean, it's just going to go on for a while. i mean, this is not quite as climatic as it seems. congress can just say we'll let the deadline slide. probably deferred. >> well, you know, obviously -- >> i don't know if they will but they could. >> there's been noise as you said about how much is this going to cost the average american and should you be worried about this? it seems like that's oversold because if you look at just the impact of the so-called fiscal cliff, if we get to january 1st and no deal, i think there's a

universal expectation that for 98% of the country, the income tax thing addressed within a week or two. neither democrats or republicans let that go completely. the amt is fixed basically every year. that's going to be fixed eventually. it looks like looking at the reports of the offer that obama is supposedly making this afternoon, going to tell republicans, yeah, you win on the estate tax if you take the offer and only thing talking about is the payroll tax. that's already obama apparently gave up on it two weeks ago and gone no matter what and only the refundables. >> yep. >> you're talking about hugely important to the working poor but for the vast majority of the country, it's almost ir el vant. we are just -- >> they aren't tax credits and what you fill out when you fill out your taxes which won't happen until 2014. if they're in effect, it costs the average family an extra $3,400 or so but in the first week, two weeks, actually, costs the average family about $40 and that's the payroll tax and if

it's in effect for a month, $80. that's what we're looking at here and doesn't account for the psychological damage that will happen when the stock market tanks, employers hire fewer people. >> consumer confidence. >> confidence goes further. i mean, those are the imponderables and will happen. we're already seeing it happen and, you know, this is damaging the economy right now. this is not theoretical in the future. but a lot of economists and forecasters are still saying if we can just get past this, there's some good things happening, the housing market is coming back and other thing that is are pretty good. 2013 might be okay if we can just get over this. >> you know, rick, i think there is one notable absence from your list which is starbucks advice of writing "come together" on your cup, obviously. keeping the cash on hand, a suggestion there is to have some cash available to put in to the stock market. isn't it a little dicey to bet on any sort of congressional action at this point?

>> well, i don't want to pretend i'm a financial adviser. i'm not. we have seen it play out twice before. 2008 when congress voted down t.a.r.p. and then approved it a few days later and then 2011 with the debt ceiling standoff and the stock market fell between 7% and 11% on the expectation this is just going to wreck the economy. and then, stocks rebounded so financial adviser on wall street are saying if the markets go down, consider it a buying opportunity and we do have a little bit of precedent for that. >> rick newman, thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you, guys. enough of the cliff. coming un, finally, the four top stories of 2012. steve, krystal, toure and s.e. that's right. constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps.

but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?! we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service. call...

and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

very special episode of "the cycle" look with a serious look back at the most important events of the year. we are talking about what we did! cyclist by cyclist. we'll kick it off with my friend krystal known behind the scenes as the queen of nice so sweet and sometimes the queen of mean and sometimes the queen of silly. >> let's spin "the cycle" wheel of misfortune. today is fiscal fiesta! woo! will we see paul ryan racing for the bathroom? >> i kind of like krystal's. she was channelling michelle obama. got on the couch for -- meeting of the souls there. >> a special moment. i have to tell you.

>> i also have some questions, like who's running? and be specific. >> do they double down or walk it back? >> people will be watching for the doubling down, walking back. >> or walking back. >> answers are in and this krystal ball is on a roll. see what i did there? >> today for look in to the crystal ball. >> you went there. >> that's the lovely cohost name and likes to point out. no, the parents were not hippies. >> i want to say that barack obama should win. >> why do you think barack obama should win? >> because he takes good care of us. >> what's wrong with mitt romney? is he mean to animals? i swear, she really did ask me that. four years from now, i'll be back and have to answer these questions and more all over again because i just learned that i'm expecting a new little politico next summer.

maybe next time around, alec can explain it to her little brother or sister. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> so exciting. >> tingles. >> can we go get some beers? >> yeah. happy hour after this, right? >> 30 seconds left. let's name the child right now. >> the intersection of presidential politics and of course baseball. so, as we are in the bottom of the sixth in the election cycle, the game is tight. what about basketball, you say? the next treasury secretary car me lo anthony top paid big star hurt in this dive and had to leave the game. we have a classic for you as we relate to the fiscal whatever here in washington. >> i feel like it's going to be really interesting. >> oh, classic material. i wanted to see -- >> ridiculous. >> the queen of mean when you attacked the two congress people and michael steele and then when you attacked me and called me lame for not lying to my

child -- children who aren't gullible like other people's children and won't say but it's been amazing working with krystal. >> i have to say, i have to say, i had such a strong reaction to your anti-santa thing yesterday. >> i am not -- >> i don't know what came over me. >> i'm not anti-santa. they didn't ask me where the presents come from and didn't tell them it's a stranger they have not referenced. every birthday, my son's in november and he knew, presents came from me, aunt, whatever, grandma. so he didn't think suddenly now it's christmas they come from another person. he didn't ask. was i supposed to lie and create a new person in his life who's going to sneak in to the house and give him presents? >> um, yes. yes. you were supposed to create that person. >> armed shooter. >> i don't have any problem with the choice that you made, you know, my children --

>> s.e. i need you to settle this. >> i'm not going to weigh in on this nonsense over santa but -- heritage stuff. >> i'm on team krystal always but here's -- >> thank you. >> anti-team toure is your team. >> i think my favorite moments of krystal looking back have always been those tortured sports metaphors that would be torture no matter who read them but especially coming out of krystal's mouth. amazing. loved it. you did it with aplum. >> i'm glad somebody's enjoying them. someone on this group. >> i have to thank her for that because what makes those -- has made those tortuous for me is a cohost whose name i won't name but rhymes with boure and a producer believes that the sports world ends and begins in new york city. there's other sports throughout. >> like what?

>> tunisian basketball state. >> a lot of things. but krystal insisted on radically expanding the reach of the sports coverage of washington, d.c. we have now -- middle america, we are talking now. we have new york and washington sports. >> really representative. >> no television -- few television moments of 2012 compared to krystal reading the newt gingrich press release which was amazing. they'll study it on "inside the actor's studio" for years to come. you read it better than he could have done and that's saying a lot. >> thank you. i'm proud. i am proud of that moment. i think i had some dramatic flourishes that i will -- >> right. standing the tortured metaphor, one last time. you don't need to look in to a chrrystal ball. "the cycle" loved one person above all, so here "the cycle's"

person of the year is jennifer granholm. >> in ohio! 150,000 jobs! and in the great state of michigan! 211,000 good-paying, american jobs! all across america! manufacturing is rebounding! why?

excuse me, sir i'm gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just click away with our free mobile app.

the meeting at the white house is still going on. congressional leaders inside right now. we are watching it all and bringing you the latest developments as they happen. and now, back to us. we have missed s.e. sass and snark a few days but she is back.

hello, kitty. he replacement might have the glasses but she was no substitute. >> a good substitute. >> well. that's a nice thing to say about your cohost. before we get in to the highlights we would like to give her props for this photograph and coming in at number 37 on the best images of 2012 list so congratulations on that. >> too cool. >> she is always number one with us. >> aw! >> now, without further ado, here's some more s.e. video. >> i'm s.e. cupp and here's what's going on today. not much. there is an election or so i'm told. >> we have been giving s. aechlt little bit of a hard time. >> there's consequences. >> okay. >> let's see it. >> only going to happen once. >> this is beautiful. >> oh my gosh. >> beautiful. >> s.e. cupp reporting on the convention but i think maybe possibly finding a little time for fund --

>> i had some bourbon, yes. boy blount, they were all there. sounds like a raging good time. >> people will be watching for the doubling down, walking back. >> walking back. >> and change -- >> we won't know why they voted for who they voted for until they tell us. >> really? >> really? >> really? >> really? what's this have to do with voting? oh, they're going somewhere. >> s.e. cupp, anything to add? >> no, rachel. i'm happy to listen and smile. i believe the term is gloating. >> i appreciated her chair dance because i do do that. >> how do you get the awesome jobs? >> i'm there. i'm completely in. are you blushing? >> inside i'm about to faint. >> we got down to business. the business of duck hunting. you can see i'm in love with this already. i killed this pretty bad, this -- >> multiple gunshot wounds.

>> i'm wearing duck calls that i got. now that i know the right end to blow out of, these will come in handy. can you do me a favor before we let you go and perform for us a squach call? >> yes. >> great. >> just go right after it. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> that was great. i'll pay for that in the building later, i'm sure. >> something was missing from the segment. it was the voice of s.e. cupp. she's here today. >> she is here? >> what you need is a twitter buddy. they let you know when to drink because that's important. i love to be your twitter buddy. you bring the wine and i'll bring the snark and turn this debate in to a rocking good time. see you then. >> no. i really wish they hadn't played that call again because after

last time in the attack that happened when the sas quach appeared. >> he is a good -- i got to say. i clearly from that package bring the class and intellectual heft -- >> okay. >> -- to this table. >> no. you bring the sarcasm but the thing i wanted to see a little bit more of is the faces of s.e. because you always know exactly what she thinks and you just look at her and got a face like -- you're a complete moron. might be about me or the guest. >> this cannot be contained. >> sure cannot be contained. >> across the table from her. >> well, yeah. >> directly across the table the whole time. she's giving me these faces. it is very hard. >> once i was saying something -- >> i have to say. >> -- and you were looking at the camera like, what is his problem? he is a total moron. >> that's always. that's always. >> s.e. one of the things i love is you and i like hillary clinton, i love seeing all of

the different hair styles that we have had throughout the course of the show. >> we have fun in there. i know. >> yes, they do. >> wait. >> i personally feel that the squatch call moment was a high for you and the news and cable news across all channels and a highwater mark. >> i have an update. >> is there an update? yeah. >> i have an update. >> still haven't found him? >> my interest in squatch. unfound. no body. my interest has gotten so enormous that for christmas this year my brother bought from the california big foot research institute, i think that's what it's called, an actual cast of an squatch. this was my christmas gift. >> i love how you use the word actual to describe something that doesn't exist. >> it's real.

i'm a believer now! >> okay. >> all right. well, we have -- >> what else you got for christmas. >> you wouldn't. no, you wouldn't. >> the california bigfoot institute. you learn something. >> i made that up. >> is that affiliated with ucla? anyway, up next, s.e. will turn the tables, it is her turn to relive a year of me, i guess. >> yes! >> oh, what a year it was. irrational fears and all. but first, more from our hon honorary fifth cyclist. >> and when america needed it most who got us rolling on the road to recovery? america, we need to rev up our engines! in your car and on your ballot. the "d" is for drive forward. the "r" is for reverse. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again.

time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind.

♪ you make me happy when skies are gray ♪ [ female announcer ] you know exactly what it takes to make them feel better. ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] that's why you choose children's tylenol. the same brand your mom trusted for you when you were young. ♪ how much i love you [ humming ] [ female announcer ] children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade. [ humming ] ♪ some nights i stay up cashing in my bad luck ♪ from day one we knew he was a political encyclopedia and major history buff but who knew professor kornacki would make phobia so fashionable in 2012? >> this is my state today. i have cycled down to the key swing state. well, i took the train. ♪

that's the mr. belvedere theme song for no reason. i love the show. >> i think we know what we need. nerds! >> make it rain. he went from three ahead in the seven-day track yesterday to five ahead in the track day. >> we have glasses. that's my guess. added skills to work here. >> don't mind me. i'm just reading my "tv guide" here out with the hot list for 2012. i can't believe this! toure's 41 years old. nbc's new daytime talk fest proves that you can disagree without being disagreeable unless your name is s.e. cupp. >> what? all right, steve. stop, stop, stop reading. >> oh yeah. supposed to give the -- read this and not this. i'm going the give you a super saver tip for the holidays from

steve. i have taken grandson and i have changed it to alias and friend. i have taken birthday and changed it to hanukkah and what said grandson you're the birthday champ, it says, amy, you are the hanukkah champ. >> what is girl ball? >> wait, wait, wait. >> what is that? >> if you have -- if you have a better suggestion for them nizing a basset hound, i'm all ears. >> that is some sexist crap. >> we exposed my fear of unstable ferris wheels. i have irrational fears and some obsessive compulsive fears. i'll catch myself and went this way yesterday, something bad happened so i'll walk over. when i was a kid i checked under the bed for, you know, for not monsters but for intruders. >> you still do that. >> i get the thought in the head and can't rest until there's a space big enough to hold a human being. there's two closets, the shower

and the bed. if i check that, i go to sleep. >> wait. >> wow. >> that was amazing. and song perfect because you're filled with superstitions. i wonder if there's more ocd things you haven't talked about. >> not superstitions. all based in logic and -- >> no. all legitimate. >> it was a tough year for self diagnosed illness but i made it through. it's december and my reward is with each passing year, the odds of contracting something terrible and increase so happy new year to all of you. >> survived a number of plane rides this year. >> yeah, 6 for 6 on airplanes this year. had to restrain two shoe bombers on different flights. >> no, you didn't. >> many close calls. the wing fell off. food poisoned. i had to fly the plane down once. >> no, you didn't. no, you didn't. >> steve, we didn't even touch on your love for the lit wanian basketball team and your family shared love. >> don't open that box.

>> so many rich moments for you. >> sports highlight of the year in middle of july with four minutes left in the game and the basketball team took the lead over the heavily and i mean 33-point heavily favored u.s. team. >> once is enough. >> highly patriotic person you are. >> let's just do sports highlights. >> let's do it. >> beating oklahoma in september. >> you know, it's funny because whenever we talk about sports, me and steve are arguing and arguing like, you know, 6 versus 1/2 dozen and we won't them to be penalized but a lot or a little. >> we squeeze eight minutes out of that. >> it was a nonargument that became an argument. >> steve? steve, i can't believe you didn't work in there your dominating toure on the musical choice naming of the graphic -- >> that was a highlight. >> i didn't want to embarrass him. >> one time. >> very, very obscure song by the four tops. he thought it was the

temptations. he insisted. >> that i remember. they remember. >> i think that was the highlight for a lot of people. >> i see the love you guys have for me and the way you -- >> thank you, crystal. >> we love you, toure. >> thank you, my friend. >> all right. coming up, we don't call it toure tv for nothing. >> yeah. >> a look back at the year with the guy so cool he doesn't need a last name. but first, speaking of cool -- >> supposed to be funny. >> in this election, we are driving forward! not back! let's re-elect the great president, barack obama! [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news

starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

we have been going over all of our favorite cycle moments, but let's face it, at the end of the day, it's all about toure tv. am i right? >> right. >> hello, my friends, and welcome to day one of our new show "the cycle." i'm toure. it's 3:00 in new york, 2:00 in chicago and high noon in l.a. warren is going to be a senator gu eric b. will always be the president. brian, drop that beat. we welcome you to movie metaphor club. today we link the fiscal slope talks to "pulp fiction." the tea party is yolanda.

we finally get to the presidential debates, the political equivalent of fight club except the first rule of this fight club is you do talk about fight club. i'm not a boxer, heavyweight champion of the world. >> what do you mean is exactly right. >> since you're already making a fist, can we get to what a man really needs to know, how do you survive a bar fight? >> toure just missed the cut. >> that's why i take issue with that list but here is something i can totally get on board with. picture it people, toure 2016.com. >> we have the different iterations of toure -- >> oh, yeah. >> but the game was always that you could -- i got new information -- >> the game was that after toure -- >> beaming in from boca and being around here is giving me romnesia. i can't remember who i am. back from boca and recovering from my romnesia. i can't remember.

>> i think we'll start with our friend toure here who is locked in a heated argument with a chair in his office. >> we're already cracking up because it's 5:00 somewhere. shut out to our viewers in greenland. now words are having sex and birthing new words that are synthetic and saying i'm a knewwakne new word. >> you didn't even get a surprise? what kind of christmas was that? i'm glad you're not my dad. >> okay, krystal, we're getting real. i'm glad you're not my dad. i'm glad you're not my daughter either. >> i missed quite a show yesterday. >> if i was your dad, you would be extraordinarily happy young daughter and you'd be named keisha. >> keisha. >> i like that. >> toure, i have to say, i have to say that i think you are

fantabulous for many reasons, but honestly i love how you bring a lot of people from different spectrums into the cycle, the photographer who did the boxing book was amazing, we had molly ringwald, the graphic novelist chris ware, but probably my favorite moment was the matt moment and could we take a look at all of the toure's map iterations for his electoral map were dictions. there they are. he was told his map didn't make sense. he adjusted a few more times. >> just note who got 50 for 50 and which cyclist did not. >> yes, i did. >> i got 50 for 50. the genius professor kornacki did not. >> it helps if you turn yours in the day after the election. >> no, it was the day before and i was right. >> i also think that our viewers can really benefit and

acknowledge toure from the music lesson that he has bestored upon us all. a lot of the fun and interesting bumper music that you hear is toure's doing. so thanks for that. >> wow. >> i have got to be mean. even the temptations? even the four tops? >> it's either thanks for that or some of it was craptacular depending where you sit. >> i take credit for all the taylor swift in the show. i just want that to be known. >> yeah, i want that to be known, too. >> i got all the toby keith. >> and i got mr. belvedere. >> save your letters. >> i wrote most of those letters. please, s.e., no more toby keith. >> hey, nobody else a complaining. >> oh, half of america is complaining. >> i also enjoy toby keith, i just want you to know. i have also suggested toby keith for the show. so -- >> ha! >> and i want to get in on the toby keith. >> i think the question we all want answered right here and

right now is krystal going to name her son toure? >> i'll take that silence as a yes. >> only time will tell. >> is it really just down to time? >> sol my daughter, ella, when she was given the idea that maybe the baby should be named toure, of course toure was the one that suggested that. she said, you know, i don't think toure is a real name. >> brava ella. >> says the daughter of krystal ball. >> i know. >> brava, ella. >> it's bad when the most normal name on your show is steve kornacki. >> the first time in my life that's been the case. >> oh, wow. >> all right. >> all right. >> fun year, guys. >> great show. nice to see you back, s.e. fun year absolutely. here is to another great one. that does if for "the cycle." karen finney is in the chair